Saturday, January 31, 2009

Road Turtles.

They're actually called Bott's Dots.


Dr. Botts worked for the DOT. He died before they were officially used as a remedy to painted lines disappearing under water. Tested in Sacramento around 1955, the research was rediscovered after Bott's death and officially used on I-80 in 1965.

Raised markers were an idea from the 30's but not until the postwar economic boom put massive amounts of cars on the road, did they take the project seriously. Bott's is accredited for creating the epoxy which glues them to the road... but honestly, his first attempt was to affix them to the road with nails and that fucked a lot of cars up. Some sources say that one of his prodigies actually came up with the epoxy.

Bott's dots are not used in states where snow plows will scrape them off the road, with the exception of temporary Bott's dots placed in construction zones between spring and early winter.

Preceding the Bott's Dot was the Cats Eye.

It's from the UK and was in use when the USA was toying with the idea of raised markers. When war was causing city blackouts, street side rail lines were the best tactile markers for motorists, hence the innovation for raised markers.

In 1999 one of the Cats Eye road studs became dislodged by a van, and punched through the windshield of an oncoming automobile, hitting Drum and Bass DJ Kemistry in the face, killing her instantly.

Kemistry introduced Goldie to the drum and bass scene and they co founded the label Metalheadz.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

We Don't Need No Wawta'

Fire Fighter Pete
AKA Pete Smith the Singing Firefighter



He's got a few songs out on youtube and he's made TWO separate videos for his hit:
"Stop Drop and Roll."
The song is pretty unspectacular, so two separate videos hosted by him on his youtube profile seems a bit prodigal to me.

He must be proud as shit of it.

The first video is him at home singing it.




The second is a touch more prima donna.


Apparently the Sarg shot down any of Pete's requests to shoot around the fire station.
Hence the video's serious lack of Fire Poles, Fire Engines, Fire Hoses or actual Fire.

Either that or Pete has a tendency to disappear on days he brings his guitar to work.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Blue and Black Jack [Johnson]

The first Black Heavyweight Champion of the world.





He Flaunted his Money





Flossed his Big Gold Teeth





Dominated the Ring





And loved White Women.





He scared white people so bad that

Jack London (The Call of the Wild)



called out for someone to dethrone Johnson and Coined the term:
"The Great White Hope."



100 lbs overweight and with plenty of time to read, James J. Jeffries came out of retirement and said, "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro."


On July 4th 1910 they fought the fight of the century.
The all white Crowd chanted "Kill the ni***(r)."




Jack Johnson fought JJ Jeffries for 15 rounds.
They called the fight before Johnson could knock him the fuck out.



Johnson took home 225 grand and humiliated whites rioted on the 4th of July.